Trail to the Grotta di Serracozzo
Arrived in the area of Rifugi Citelli you can freely park on the edge of the road. It will be the path “723 CAI” that will lead you in direction of the ‘Grotta di Serracozzo’ cave.
Serracozzo trail
Walking in the middle of a birch wood, the path climbs up meeting basalt lava, smoothed by the waters. You find yourself close to the lavaflow of 1928 and you have a nice panorama to the East, that satisfies eyes and heart, with the beautiful east coast.
Continuing the Serracozzo trail, you can admire from above the Sartorius Mountains and Monte Frumento delle Concazze, beyond the forest in all its beauty.
After about 1.5 km you will find a small valley that indicates the arrival to the Serracozzo cave.
The origins of the Grotta di Serracozzo cave
It is the 1971 lava flow that gave origin to the cave, a tunnel of lava flow still almost intact The cave is 350 m long and is very impressive, the first section is very steep and from a hole at the top of the ceiling enters a ray of light that gives it a special atmosphere.
The downstream section is instead a flowing tunnel, very steep, apart from small collapses on the roof that, in any case, enhance even more its beauty, with plays of light that change continuously. The entrance is a bit low, but you can proceed well even without a helmet, just be careful, it is still a caving environment and as such requires caution. Certainly the Serracozzo Cave is one of the most beautiful and fascinating caves on Mount Etna.
Viewpoint ‘Serra delle Concazze’
After visiting the cave, continue on the path for about 600 meters until you reach the viewpoint of “Serra delle Concazze”. The climb is a little harder than the initial one, but the view once you get up there is truly breathtaking. You will face the edge of the lava desert of the Valle del Bove. From here you can admire the valley and the amplitude formed about 10,000 years ago following the collapse of the primordial volcanic formation.
Inside the Valle del Bove
IIf you look left, at the bottom of the Valle del Bove you can admire Mount Scorsone, Rocca Capra, Rocca Musarra and going up again along the edge for about 200 meters you can admire some “Dicchi”, and then more up Rocca della Valle and Pizzo dei Neri until you reach the summit craters. While inside the valley you can see Mount Simone and Monti Centenari, while to the south you can see the Montagnola, the Schiena dell’Asino, Serra del Salfizio and Monte Zoccolaro. After this breathtaking view of the Valle del Bove, and a moment of pure relaxation to catch your breath, you prepare for the descent.
You have to take the same way back as you took to arrive at the Grotta di Serracozzo. Please pay attention to the road, since a lot of people take a wrong turn on the way back on the Serracozzo trail!
